Pittsburgh Steelers Steelers News
Seven Steelers Among Top 100 Upcoming Free Agents
Seven Pittsburgh Steelers have been named among the top 100 players that will be available this offseason.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have 24 players set to become free agents this offseason. Seven have been named among the 100 best that will become available in about a month, according to The 33rd Team.
The first Steeler named is quarterback Justin Fields, who comes in at No. 40 overall on the list.
“Justin Fields didn’t blow anyone away in his starting stint with the Steelers and was eventually replaced by Russell Wilson. However, that might have been more of a Steelers thing because once Wilson couldn’t hit the deep balls, there wasn’t a lot to the Pittsburgh passing game,” Dan Pizzuta writes. “Fields still has upside because of his legs, though he might not ever be a reliably consistent passer.”
Fields may not have done enough to keep the starting job in his limited action while Wilson nursed a calf injury, but he still provides the most upside at the position for the Steelers in 2025.
Pittsburgh will likely have competition to bring back the 25-year-old, unless it can agree to an extension with him before he officially hits the open market in March.
Fields threw for 1,106 yards, five touchdowns and just one interception while leading the Steelers to a 4-2 start to the season. He also rushed for 231 yards and five touchdowns during the span.
The second Steelers player named is left tackle Dan Moore Jr., who comes in at No. 47 overall.
Moore has been the Steelers starting left tackle since his rookie season in 2021. He has had some ups and downs, but he has done more than return Pittsburgh’s fourth-round investment on him.
The Steelers are unlikely to bring back the 26-year-old with first-round tackles Broderick Jones and Troy Fautanu ready to step up, but he could prove to be a reliable blindside blocker for one of the other 31 teams.
Another Steelers offensive lineman — guard James Daniels — is named right after Moore at No. 48 overall.
Daniels suffered a season-ending torn Achilles in September, which puts his status for the start of the 2025 season up in the air. However, the 27-year-old has been a solid piece on the Steelers offensive line since joining the team on a three-year, $26.5 million contract in 2022.
Veteran guard Isaac Seumalo and promising rookie Mason McCormick will likely prevent a return to Pittsburgh by Daniels, though.
Starting quarterback Russell Wilson is the Steelers fourth player on the list, coming in at No. 53 overall.
“Russell Wilson had some flashes when he took over as Pittsburgh’s starter. Most of that came from his moonball that hit fairly often. The problem was there wasn’t much else to his game when the explosive plays weren’t hitting,” Pizzuta writes. “He still tries to extend plays a little too much, but if he’s behind a good offensive line with a downfield receiver he can trust, there are worse ways to try to bridge an offense while preparing for whatever comes next.”
Wilson’s 2024 campaign was a tale of two halves. In his first seven games as the Steelers starter, he threw for 1,784 yards, 12 touchdowns and three interceptions while going 6-1.
However, the 36-year-old started to show his age down the stretch, throwing for just 968 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions on the team’s five-game losing streak to end the year. That’s why many believe his time in Pittsburgh will be capped at just one season.
The fifth Steelers player named is cornerback Donte Jackson, who comes in at No. 58 overall.
The 29-year-old was part of Pittsburgh’s trade that sent wide receiver Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers.
After leading the team with five interceptions in 2024, it’s safe to say the Steelers won the trade. That doesn’t mean he’s coming back, though.
Jackson has expressed a desire to re-sign to Pittsburgh, but the team will have plenty of cornerback options on the open market.
Running back Najee Harris is the sixth Steelers player mentioned at No. 62 overall.
“Najee Harris had 1,000 rushing yards, his fourth-straight year of doing so, but that was more because of volume than efficiency,” Pizzuta writes. “A team could hope better blocking in front of Harris could open up some more room, but he’s also not incredibly explosive, so some kind of Saquon Barkley impact is likely not on the table.”
The Steelers declined Harris’ $6.79 million fifth-year option in May. So it feels very unlikely that he’ll, return in 2025.
The 26-year-old has been a very reliable player throughout his four-year NFL career, though, rushing for at least 1,000 yards and six touchdowns every season and never missing a game. That could prove to be very valuable on the open market.
The seventh and final Steeler to crack the top 100 upcoming free agents list is wide receiver Mike Williams at No. 96 overall.
It’s safe to say Williams’ best days are behind him, but he was never really given a fair shot in Pittsburgh. After the Steelers traded for the 30-year-old, he only registered nine catches for 132 yards and one touchdown in nine games.
Williams will likely get another shot to prove he can still play in 2025, but it won’t be with the Steelers.